This Mississippi Mud Cake includes a homemade chocolate cake with melted marshmallows and warm chocolate frosting poured on top. Trust me, it’s as delicious as it sounds!

A slice of Mississippi Mud Cake on a white plate.

When I think of a chocolate lover’s dream, this is the cake that comes to mind! It’s called a “Mississippi Mud” cake because of the layers of soft marshmallow and chocolate that make up the topping and frosting. It’s one of the easiest cakes to make, baked in a simple 9×13” pan.

I adapted the recipe from my favorite Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe but instead of buttermilk I used milk and sour cream for an extra moist and tender cake. The warm chocolate frosting is the same recipe I use for this popular Texas Sheet Cake. It’s SO GOOD!

How to Make Mississippi Mud Cake:

  • Combine dry ingredients: flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  • Add wet ingredients: Add oil, eggs, vanilla, milk and sour cream and mix until combined. Reduce speed and carefully pour in the boiling water. Beat on high speed for 1 minute to add air to the batter.
  • Bake: Pour batter into greased 9×13” pan and bake for 28-33 minutes.
  • Add marshmallows. Remove cake from oven and sprinkle marshmallows all over the top of the hot cake, completely covering it. Return to oven for 2-3 minutes until marshmallows are puffed up. Cool cake before frosting.
  • Make the Frosting: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add milk and cocoa powder and whisk well. Cook for about 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and powdered sugar. Use an electric mixer to make the frosting smooth.
  • Drizzle frosting over cake.
Two process photos for adding marshmallows and warm chocolate frosting to a Mississippi Mud Cake baked in a 9x13 inch pan.

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

The cake can be made 1-2 days in advance, stored covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator. The baked and frosted cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.

A pan of Mississippi Mud Cake with a spatula lifting out the first piece of cake.

More Chocolate Cakes to love:

FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!

Recipe

A slice of Mississippi Mud Cake on a plate.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Total 1 hour
Save Recipe

Ingredients
  

For topping:

  • 10.5 ounce package mini marshmallows
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
  • 6 Tablespoons milk
  • 3 heaping Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13” baking pan.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  • Add oil, eggs, vanilla, milk and sour cream and mix until combined. Reduce speed and carefully pour in the boiling water. Beat on high speed for 1 minute to add air to the batter.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 28-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Remove cake from oven and sprinkle marshmallows all over the top of the hot cake, completely covering it. 
  • Return to oven (at 350 degrees F) for 2-3 minutes or until the marshmallows are just slightly puffed and melted. 
  • Allow cake to cool completely before drizzling frosting on top.

For the frosting:

  • Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. 
  • Add milk and cocoa powder and whisk well. Cook for about 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly. 
  • Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and powdered sugar. Use an electric mixer to make the frosting smooth.
  • Drizzle warm frosting immediately over cake. Refrigerate cake for about 30 minutes or until frosting has set. Store at room temperature.

Notes

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions: The cake can be made 1-2 days in advance, stored covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator. The baked and frosted cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 633kcalCarbohydrates: 104gProtein: 5gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 394mgPotassium: 224mgFiber: 2gSugar: 78gVitamin A: 300IUCalcium: 75mgIron: 2.1mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tag @TastesBetterFromScratch on Instagram with #TastesBetterFromScratch!

Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.x

I originally shared this post September 2015. Updated February 2021.

This post contains affiliate links.

Related Posts

Share Recipe

Categories

About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

Leave A Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Hi this recipe looks like one from my childhood, and I can’t wait to make it! I see lot of comments that say the pan is too small; is 9×13 the correct pan size to use?

  2. 5 stars
    Love this!! My kids ask for it constantly!!! One question for you…I’m trying to make it now and just realized I’m out of all purpose flour. I have cake flour, self rising, and whole wheat flour. Can I substitute any of these for the all purpose or does it HAVE to be AP Flour?

    1. Absolutely! You can replace regular milk with buttermilk in the Mississippi Mud Cake recipe. It will add a nice tanginess and can also make the cake a bit more tender. Just use the same amount of buttermilk as the recipe calls for milk.

  3. 5 stars
    This recipe brought me back to childhood it was just as awesome as I remember the only thing I would do next time is add a few pecans👍

  4. 5 stars
    Made this cake G/F,
    Was the most delicious cake I’ve ever eaten substituted plain flour for gluten-free plain flour also added same quantity of baking powder with Xgum powder,

  5. 3 stars
    My first time making mud cake. Cake came out beautiful but absolutely NO room for marshmallows and frosting. I think recipe should be adjusted to a regular 9×13 baking pan that most people have.

  6. 4 stars
    Thank you! This recipe is great. I have made it twice now. But today I am not sure what I was thinking and didn’t read the icing recipe. I made it like butter cream(not heating the butter) I thought it looked wrong. Didn’t go back and read until I already iced the cake. Hopefully it will taste and set up ok

See More Comments